Gas turbine



sept. is, 192s.

1,684,824 J. M. HAwTHoRN v GAS TURBINE Filed Dec. 23, 1925 INVENTOR :EsJHu/horn A`TToRNEY 2 'Sheets-Sheet I sept. 1s, 192s.' f J.VM. HAWTHORN GAS TURBINE Filed Dec. 23, 1925 2 Sheets'-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES yrsa1-.8211

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M'. HAWTHORN, OF 'EVERET'IL WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO THE DUPLEX GAS TURBINE COMPANY, INC., OF EVERETT, WASHINGTON.

eas warring.

Application filed December 23, 1925. Serial No. 77,233.

bine designed to be driven by a built up pressure produced by explosions of gas in rapid succession within a closed chamber and delivered through jets against the turbine blades.

It is an object of the invention to provide a gas driven turbine of the abo've character 1o wherein friction is reduced to a minimum,

wherein there are few moving parts and which may be operated with great efficiency atja relatively small cost.

Other objects reside in the various details of construction of parts and in the mode of operation as is set forth in the following description. p

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, 1 have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gas turbine embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same taken in a plane that is perpendicular to the axes of the rotor; al part of the rotor being shown in side elevation for the purpose of better illustration.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the rotor` housing with one of the side plates thereof removed. A

Figure 4. is a cross sectional view taken on an arcuate line through the gas supply and explosion chambers and showing the sealing plates and the spark plugs in the explosion chambers.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the rotor removed from the housing.

Figure 6 is a central, vertical cross section of the turbine.

Figure 7 is a detail, sectional view illustrating the crossed relation of the two circular rows of passages through the rotor.

Referring more in detail to the drawings- 1 designates the rotor member ofthe turbine consisting of a circular, disk-likemember of substantial thickness provided about its periphery with transverse vanes 2 of the 5o usual turbine form. The rotor 1 is keyed onto a supporting shaft 3 so as to drive the latter and the shaft, is rotatably mounted in bushed bearings 4 and 5 formed in` the op- -lvposite side plates 6.and 7 of the rotor housing 8 which forms a circular enclosure'wher in the rotor is contained.

For lpurposes presently apparent, the rotor 1s provided 1n its opposite side faces concentric about the shaft 3 with circular rows of` shallow pockets 9 and also with two circular rows of passages 10 and 11 that extend through the rotor and open at its opposite f' faces; the passages of the two rows being disposed in crossed relation at angles of 45 with the `faces of the rotor, as is best illustrated in Figure 7,

The housing 8 is substantially circular and 1s constructed with a substantial base 13 through which anchor bolts 14 4may be extended, as shown in Figure 1, to secure the device to a foundation.l For the purpose of cooling, during operation, the housing is water-jacketed in the usual manner and has provision at its top and lower portions, respectively, for connection with water circulation pipes 15 and 16 which may connect with a radiator, pump or other water cooling or circulating devices, not shown in the present drawing.

Formed in the inner surfaces of the side plates 6 and 7 of the housing and concentric with the rotor shaft and at points that are directly opposite the rotor, are arcuate recesses 20 wherein pac-king orfsealing plates 21 are fitted as a means of preventing leakage of gas along the sides of the rotor from the recesses. The opposite side surfaces of the rotor arev perfectly smooth and are spaced' slightly from the inner surfaces of the side y plates and the packing 'plates are held yield# ingly in close Contact with the rotor by means of a plurality of small coiled springs 23 'i l y placed between the bases of the recesses 20 and the inner edges of the packing platesso that the plates will provide non-leaking connections at the joint with the rotor. The packing plates have arcuately formed chambers 24. and 25 thereins separated by a cross web 26 and these chambers serve, respectively, as gas supply and explosion chambers; the explosion chambers being relatively long as compared with the length of the gas supply chambers.

The gas which serves as a fuel for operating the rotor may be derived, in any suitable manner', from asoline, kerosene or crude oil and is delivere from a main supply pipe 27 into branch p-ipe's 29-29 which lead to opposite sides of the housing where they open into the gas supply chambers 24 and keepthe latter well filled with gas. The pockets 9 in the opposite sides of the rotor are located at the same radial distance from the shaft 29 as are the chambers 24, and thus as the rotor revolves in the direction ofthe arrow in Figure 2, the pockets in passing the supply chambers 24 take up small quantities of'the gas and deliver these charges in rapid successlon into the explosion chambers 25 where the gas is ignited by means of spark plugs 30 located in the latter to build up an exceedingly high gas pressure.

At opposite diam'etrical edges of the rotor the housing S is ofi-set outwardly so as to provide the chambers 34 and35, and projected into these are nozzles or jets 36, each of which is connected at its outer end with one of the explosion chambers 25 by means of pipes 37 and 37. The jets aredirected at the proper angles to discharge with the greatest etliciency against the vanes of the rotor so as to impart rotary driving movement to the rotor and shaft 2. Exhaust pipes 39 and 40 are connected, respectively, with the chambers 34 and and with a pipe 42 whereby the spent gas charges are delivered from the housing.

Pockets are also provided in the inner faces of the side plates, which, at one side of the rotor, register with the pockets 9 and ends of passages l0 and on the other side of the disk overlap the ends of lthe passages 11,4 as shown in Figure 6. These pockets 45 are connected by pipes 48 and 49 with the Vexhaust pipe 42 so that suction produced by exhaustion of burned gas through the pipe 42 draws the burned gas from the pockets 9 so that they may till with fresh gas when they again move into registration with the gas supply chambers 24. The channels 10 and 11 provide for passage of air through the rotor which, to a certain extent, prevents heating of the body of the rotor.

Assuming that the device is so constructed, in operation gas is delivered from the supply pipe 27 through the pipes 2929 into the gas supply chambers 24. At the start the rotor is vrevolved manually, or otherwise, so that gas charges will be taken up in the pockets 9 and carriedinto the explosion-chambers 25. These gas charges are ignited by the spark plugs as they are brought in rapid succession into the chamber. and a high gas pressure is gradually built up. and is deliveredr through pipes 37-37 to the nozzles 36 which "directit against the rotor vanes 2 to cause 'therotor to be revolved landA the shaft 3 to be driven. Exhaust char esv are delivered from chambers 34 and iby pipes 39 and 40 into pipe 42. Burned fuel is drawn from the pockets 9 as they pass pockets 45 and is carried off through pipes 48 and 49 into ipe 42. i Having thus descri ed my invention, what I claim as new therein and by Letters-Patent, is:

1. Avturbine-of the character described, comprising a housing having inwardly opening gas supply and explosion chambers formed in oppositely disposed relation in its side walls and having exhaust pockets formed in said side walls, a rotor revoluble in the housing having peripheral vanes and a-nozzle connected to receive gas from the said explosion chambers and to direct it against the vanes to drive the rotor said rotor having outwardly opening pockets in its opposite side walls adapted, as the-'rotor revolves, to pass in registration with the supply chambers, the explosion chambers and the exhaust pockets.

2. A turbine of the character described, comprising a rotor having vanes about its desire to secure periphery, a housing inclosing the rotor, having inwardly opening gas supply and explosion chambers and exhaust pockets formed in its side walls at equal radial distances from the axes of the rotor; said housing forming a chamber at the periphery of the rotor, a nozzle in the said chamber connected with the explosion chamber and directed to deliver gaspressure against the rotor vanes to drive the rotor, an exhaust pipe leading from the said peripheral chamber and a pipe connecting the said exhaust pocket with the exhaust pipe, said rotor having a circular row of pockets formed eoncentrically in the side wall adapted to move in registration as therotor revolves with the gas supply chamber, the explosion chamber and the exhaust pocket.

3. A turbine of the character described, comprising a housing having inwardly opening gas supply and explosion chambers formed in oppositely disposed relation in its opposite side walls and having inwardly opening exhaust pockets formed in said side walls said chambers and pockets all being atequal radial distances rom the rotor axes; said housing forming peripheral pockets at opposite sides of the rotor, nozzles disposed within said pockets and connected with the explosion chambers for the 4deliveryof gas under pressure against the rotor to drive the same, discharge pipes connected with said peripheral lpockets, pipes connecting said exhaust pockets with the discharge pipe;,said rotor having circular rows of .pockets formed concentric in its opposite side walls adapted to move successively in registration with the gas supply chambers, the explosion chambers and the exhaust pockets, and packing plates disposed about the gas supply and explosion chambers to prevent leakage therefrom between the walls of the housing and the sides of the rotor and means forl igniting gas charges in the explosion chambers.

Signed at Everett, Snohomish County, Washington, this 30th day of October, 1925. JAMES M. HAWTHORN 

